FM Richard Sutton had a more anxious tournament than usual this year in successfully defending his Otago Club Championship title. An early loss to the second seed meant that victory depended upon results beyond his control. However, while Sutton managed to win all his other games, your correspondent eventually succumbed to Luke Lambert in the penultimate round to hand back the lead. The leading final scores were Sutton 1st 7/8; Johnson 2nd 6½; Lambert & Geoff Aimers 3rd= 5.
The two representative teams from Dunedin at the national school teams chess finals in Hamilton last month, Kings High School and Dunedin North Intermediate, finished 9th and 8th in their respective grades. This represents the teams' relative lack of experience against such strong opposition, though DNI top board Patrick Dawson (13) achieved an outstanding personal score of 7/9. The prizewinners in each grade were Secondary: 1st= Auckland Grammar, Palmerston North Boys High School & St Paul's Collegiate (Hamilton). Intermediate: 1st Cobham Intermediate (Christchurch); 2nd Palmerston North Normal School; 3rd Raroa Intermediate (Wellington). Primary: Epsom Normal School (Auckland); 2nd Peterhead School (Hastings); 3rd Windsor Primary School (Christchurch).
Today's game features Richard Sutton playing White against Luke Lambert from the Otago club championship. The annotations were kindly provided by the winner.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.Qc2 O-O 6.e4 d5 7.e5 Ne4 8.Bxb4 Qxb4+ 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Qe7 11.Bd3 h6 12.O-O --- A relatively tame opening for White. But the onus is now on Black to get his Queen's bishop into play and neutralise White's superior centre. 12. --- b6 13.Rfe1 Bb7 14.cxd5 Bxd5 15.Re3 Nd7 16.Rae1 c5 17.Be4 cxd4 18.Nxd4 --- Black has made good progress in his aims, but White's strong e-pawn remains. At the expense of a ragged Q-side pawn structure, White plans to threaten the Kingside, while at the same time getting his Knight to the weak d6 square. 18. --- Bxe4 19.Qxe4 Rfc8 20.Rg3 Nc5 21.Qg4 Qf8
More active was 21 ... g6 or 21 ... Qg5. 22.f4 Kh8 23.f5 exf5 24.Nxf5 Ne6 25.Nd6 Rc7 26.h4 Rd8 27.Rd1 --- Preventing the exchange sacrifice ..Rxd6, when Black would have a pawn and a strong Knight in return for his rook. 27. --- Rdd7 28.Rf3 Nc5 29.Rdf1 --- White has achieved his ideal position, but has no specific threat. Black has defended logically with his rook formation. He continues with another logical move, to get rid of the powerful Knight at d6. But it fails tactically. 29. --- Nb7 30.Nxb7 Rxb7 31.e6 Qc5+ 32.Kh1 fxe6 33.Rf8+ Kh7 34.Qe4+ g6 35.Qxe6 Rg7 36.Qe8 g5 37.Rh8#
Sutton defends title
Problem: White to play and mate in 3.
FM Richard Sutton had a more anxious tournament than usual this year in successfully defending his Otago Club Championship title. An early loss to the second seed meant that victory depended upon results beyond his control. However, while Sutton managed to win all his other games, your correspondent eventually succumbed to Luke Lambert in the penultimate round to hand back the lead. The leading final scores were Sutton 1st 7/8; Johnson 2nd 6½; Lambert & Geoff Aimers 3rd= 5.
The two representative teams from Dunedin at the national school teams chess finals in Hamilton last month, Kings High School and Dunedin North Intermediate, finished 9th and 8th in their respective grades. This represents the teams' relative lack of experience against such strong opposition, though DNI top board Patrick Dawson (13) achieved an outstanding personal score of 7/9. The prizewinners in each grade were Secondary: 1st= Auckland Grammar, Palmerston North Boys High School & St Paul's Collegiate (Hamilton). Intermediate: 1st Cobham Intermediate (Christchurch); 2nd Palmerston North Normal School; 3rd Raroa Intermediate (Wellington). Primary: Epsom Normal School (Auckland); 2nd Peterhead School (Hastings); 3rd Windsor Primary School (Christchurch).
Today's game features Richard Sutton playing White against Luke Lambert from the Otago club championship. The annotations were kindly provided by the winner.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nf3 Bb4+
4.Bd2 Qe7
5.Qc2 O-O
6.e4 d5
7.e5 Ne4
8.Bxb4 Qxb4+
9.Nc3 Nxc3
10.bxc3 Qe7
11.Bd3 h6
12.O-O ---
A relatively tame opening for White. But the onus is now on Black to get his Queen's bishop into play and neutralise White's superior centre.
12. --- b6
13.Rfe1 Bb7
14.cxd5 Bxd5
15.Re3 Nd7
16.Rae1 c5
17.Be4 cxd4
18.Nxd4 ---
Black has made good progress in his aims, but White's strong e-pawn remains. At the expense of a ragged Q-side pawn structure, White plans to threaten the Kingside, while at the same time getting his Knight to the weak d6 square.
18. --- Bxe4
19.Qxe4 Rfc8
20.Rg3 Nc5
21.Qg4 Qf8
More active was 21 ... g6 or 21 ... Qg5.
22.f4 Kh8
23.f5 exf5
24.Nxf5 Ne6
25.Nd6 Rc7
26.h4 Rd8
27.Rd1 ---
Preventing the exchange sacrifice ..Rxd6, when Black would have a pawn and a strong Knight in return for his rook.
27. --- Rdd7
28.Rf3 Nc5
29.Rdf1 ---
White has achieved his ideal position, but has no specific threat. Black has defended logically with his rook formation. He continues with another logical move, to get rid of the powerful Knight at d6. But it fails tactically.
29. --- Nb7
30.Nxb7 Rxb7
31.e6 Qc5+
32.Kh1 fxe6
33.Rf8+ Kh7
34.Qe4+ g6
35.Qxe6 Rg7
36.Qe8 g5
37.Rh8#
1-0
Solution:1 Qxh7+!! Kxh7 2 hxg6+ Kxg6 (2 ... Kg8 3 Rh8#) 3 Be4#.